Above the lagoon, by 4x4
The Balos Lagoon viewpoint is where the dirt road over the Gramvousa peninsula ends and the lagoon opens up below you. Four trips on this site drive you there, one in a shared 4x4 and three in a private car. Two of them leave you time on the sand below; two stay at the top and go on to Falassarna Beach. Here is what each costs and how much walking it takes.
Quick answer
The short answer. For the view and a swim, book the shared 4x4 safari from Kissamos at $55 per person: photo stops on the way, then the path down to the sand. It is rated 4.9 on 844 reviews, the highest rating of any trip on this site with hundreds of reviews. To see the Balos Lagoon viewpoint without the walk down, the private tour from Chania at $157 per person stops at the top and goes on to Falassarna Beach.
Every option, side by side
Prices are per person unless the row says per vehicle. The boat is here for comparison.
| Option | Price | Walk down? | Time at the beach | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared 4x4 safari from Kissamos | $55 per person | Yes: 20–25 min down, 30–35 min up | Not set in the listing; 6-hour trip | 4.9 · 844 |
| Private tour with Falassarna Beach | $157 per person | No: about 5 min to the viewpoint | About 3 h at Falassarna Beach | 5.0 · 2 |
| Private 4x4 with Falassarna Beach | $448 per vehicle, up to 4 | No | Up to 4 h at Falassarna Beach | 5.0 · 3 |
| Private off-road tour from Chania | $448 per vehicle, up to 4 | Yes, on your own: 20 to 40 min | About 4 h at Balos | 5.0 · 3 |
| Boat from Kissamos, Balos and Gramvousa | $45 per person | No path from the road; you arrive by sea | Less than the 3 h of the Balos-only boat | 4.1 · 8,781 |
The drive
This is the Balos Lagoon Crete viewpoint in most photos: high ground at the end of the dirt road across the Gramvousa peninsula, west of Kissamos, with the lagoon and Gramvousa island below. You do not reach it on a boat trip; you reach it by road.
The shared 4x4 safari leaves Kissamos and crosses the peninsula with short photo stops on the way. The three private tours come from the Chania side with your own driver. At the Balos Lagoon viewpoint itself the road ends and the path down to the sand begins.
Dawn from the United Kingdom, on the shared safari: «the drive is a very bumpy drive which is completely unavoidable travelling to Balos unless you travel by boat … But it is well worth it».
On the way and below
Four frames from the trips to the Balos Lagoon viewpoint and the beaches around it.
Two long-haired black and white goats in dry scrub on a rocky slope. E from the United Kingdom, on the shared safari: «Once at Balos we met loads of the local goats».
Rows of parasols and sunbeds on a pale sand bar, with shallow turquoise water on both sides and a few people wading across.
A rusting ship lies off a pale sand spit in turquoise water, seen from high ground. The boats from Kissamos stop on Gramvousa, where a shipwreck sits by the beach.
Straw parasols on the shore, with blue water and dark rocks behind. Two private tours spend 3 to 4 hours at Falassarna Beach after the viewpoint.
The walk
The Balos Lagoon viewpoint trail is one path from the end of the road down to the lagoon. These are the times the listings give.
The shared 4x4 safari gives 20–25 minutes from the end of the road to the lagoon.
The climb back takes longer, the same listing says. Plan your beach time around it.
The private off-road tour from Chania parks at the top and you walk down by yourself; its listing gives 20 to 40 minutes.
The $157 private tour walks you about 5 minutes from the car to the viewpoint, and no further.
Anuj from Germany: «…if you don’t mind the 30min trek, which is beautiful, to the beach». Dawn from the United Kingdom: «the hike is probably a little longer than they suggest it is».
Look or walk down
The view is the same; the effort is not.
The Balos Lagoon viewpoint hike is the part to weigh before you book. Going down takes 20–25 minutes and coming back up 30–35. If you want the lagoon at your feet and a swim, two trips build that in: the shared safari and the private off-road tour from Chania, which gives you about 4 hours at Balos.
If the climb back is not for you, stay at the top. You still get the Balos Lagoon panoramic viewpoint Crete is known for, with the lagoon and Gramvousa island below, and then an afternoon at Falassarna Beach. Even the private 4x4, which skips the path, says in its listing: «Not recommended for people with heart conditions, poor physical fitness, or pregnant women.»
Either way, it is a Balos Lagoon hiking viewpoint as well as a photo stop: the path down starts right where the cars stop.
Trip by trip
One shared 4x4 and three private tours. Prices are per person except where a whole vehicle is quoted.
A 4x4 crosses the Gramvousa peninsula with photo stops over the lagoon, then you take the path down. Departures at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00; up to 12 people, minimum 2. Rated 4.9 on 844 reviews.
Your own driver from Chania, about 5 minutes on foot to the viewpoint, no walk down, then about 3 hours at Falassarna Beach. Rated 5.0 on 2 reviews.
A private 4x4 for up to 4 people to the viewpoint, no walk down, then up to 4 hours at Falassarna Beach. Shared by four, that is $112 each. Rated 5.0 on 3 reviews.
A private off-road driver for up to 4 people takes you to the top. You walk down on your own in 20 to 40 minutes and get about 4 hours at Balos. Lunch is at your own cost. Rated 5.0 on 3 reviews.
Our verdict
Book the shared 4x4 safari. At $55 per person you get the drive across the peninsula, photo stops at the Balos Lagoon viewpoint and time on the sand, rated 4.9 on 844 reviews. No other trip on this site with hundreds of reviews is rated higher.
To skip the climb: the $157 private tour, about 5 minutes on foot to the top, then about 3 hours at Falassarna. For four people: the private 4x4 at $448 for the vehicle.
Before you book
Two minutes on the listing saves booking the wrong kind of day.
The shared safari starts in Kissamos. The private tours come from the Chania side; check the pickup point on your listing.
$157 is per person; $448 is per vehicle for up to 4. For two people, the $157 tour comes to $314 in total.
The climb back up takes 30–35 minutes on the shared safari’s own figures. The two Falassarna tours do not walk down at all.
All four list free cancellation; check the deadline on the listing before you pay.
Rather arrive by sea? The boat from Kissamos port to Gramvousa and Balos costs $45 per person, about an hour on the water, rated 4.1 on 8,781 reviews. Our top pick for the whole site is a day from Rethymno at $62 per person with the boat leg from Kissamos; check whether the boat ticket is included in your option.
Read the Kissamos boats guide→Book direct
The shared 4x4 first, then the three private tours.
★ 4.9 · 844 reviews
★ 5.0 · 2 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
★ 5.0 · 3 reviews
Common questions
Yes. All four trips on this page drive you to the top, by shared 4x4 from Kissamos or by private car from the Chania side. The shared safari costs $55 per person; the private tours cost $157 per person or $448 per vehicle for up to 4.
About 20–25 minutes down and 30–35 minutes back up, according to the shared 4x4 safari. The private off-road tour from Chania gives 20 to 40 minutes for the walk down, which you do on your own.
Yes. Two private tours stay at the top: the $157 per person tour has about a 5-minute walk to the viewpoint, and the $448 private 4x4 skips the path. Both then spend 3 to 4 hours at Falassarna Beach.
$55 per person on the shared 4x4 safari. Private tours cost $157 per person, or $448 per vehicle for up to 4 people. Trips on this site start from $55 per person.
The shared safari departs at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00. It runs with a minimum of 2 people, takes up to 12, and the whole trip lasts 6 hours.
From the Balos Lagoon viewpoint you get the view from above and, on two trips, a walk down to the sand. The boat from Kissamos at $45 per person reaches the lagoon by sea with no climb, and adds Gramvousa island.
Go deeper
Balos Lagoon in western Crete: the three ways to reach it — boat from Kissamos, 4x4 and the footpath, or a private boat — and what each one costs.
Balos trips from ChaniaDay trips to Balos Lagoon from Chania and Rethymno: pickup points, how long the day takes and what the price covers.
Balos boats from KissamosThe boats from Kissamos port to Balos and Gramvousa: Balos-only or both stops, the sunset catamaran and what to know before boarding.
Rethymno: Gramvousa & Balos Lagoon Day Trip with Boat Ticket
★ 4.5 · 425 reviews · 1 day